Behind the Waterfall

#26 Investigation

"What do you mean, you let two rogues be the proctor for the finals?" Genma asked as the jonin of Konoha stood in front of the hokage.

"Exactly that, I think that these two will be good proctors for the exams and that it will free up one more of our jonin to keep an eye on any suspicious people when the time comes." Hiruzen explained.

"How do we know that they are capable enough?" Anko asked, still not sure about the whole thing.

"Apart from the fact that half of you haven't even noticed us yet?" Fuu decided to speak up. All eyes shot up to the ceiling, where the two masked shinobi hung upside down, their chakra suppressed.

"I'm sorry." Anko conceded silently, bowing her head slightly.

"It's fine, we understand your reservations." Naruto replied, the pair letting themselves fall down and landing between the jonin and the Hokage.

"I don't. I am your leader. You are supposed to trust me, so when I say that they are good enough, you are not supposed to question me or them." Hiruzen was clearly annoyed that his subordinates did not show him the respect he and his position deserved.

"They will have a chance to prove themselves before the exams. Ibiki has asked to be replaced for the first part of the exams, since he has too much to do with his regular position. I decided that I want my former student Tsunade to come back and hold the written part in his stead." This got many gasps from the jonin. Tsunade Senju was notoriously hard to track down and even harder to convince to come back to Konoha. Looking at the two rogues they saw no emotion behind their masks. Either they had known about this mission beforehand or they didn't know about Tsunade's reputation, although the latter seemed to be rather unlikely.

"Alright, you are dismissed. Wolf, Eagle, stay behind." The jonin quickly cleared the room as Naruto and Fuu took a seat in front of the Hokage's desk.

"I will have the latest news on Tsunade by tomorrow morning. When will you head out?" Hiruzen asked, the two rogues nodding at each other.

"We will meet you at the gate at sunrise." Fuu stated earning a nod from the Hokage.

"Ok, you are dismissed."

"I still can not believe that these two managed to convince you to come back." Shizune said as Tsunade and her waited for their dinner.

"Well, we made a bet and I lost. Besides, it was about time that I faced my fear. Yes, losing Nawaki and Dan still hurts, but I can't run from my emotions forever. Somehow these two rogues managed to convince me that I can overcome my fears and help Konoha to reach glory once again." Tsunade explained, smiling as she remembered her late lover.

"Change of topic; who do you think will win the finals?" The sannin asked, her memories turning sad as she remembered holding the dying form of Shizune's uncle.

"I don't know. The kids from Suna are very strong, but we have experienced genin in the finals this year. Sasuke will be promoted for sure and I think he will show the world what he can do. Shikamaru can never be counted out, he will always find a way. The two Hyuuga girls seem to be greatly skilled. I haven't seen much of the Yamanaka heiress, the Inuzuka heir or the Aburame boy, but I think they will be just as skilled, because their families should have them trained from a young age." Shizune summarized what she had seen in the exams so far.

"I agree with most of that, although I think that the younger Hyuuga is more skilled than her sister, but that is just a feeling I have from what I have seen so far." The sannin replied.

"What do you think about the two rogues?" Tsunade wanted to know after the waiter had brought them their food.

"What do you mean?" Her apprentice replied between bites.